Latch structure for vehicle hood



April 29, 1958 s. DE oRLow 2,832,621

LATCH STRUCTURE ECE VEHICLE Hoon Filed Jan. s1, 1955 ATTORNEY ilnited States Patent @fine 2,832,621 Patented Apr. 29, 1958 LATCH STRUCTURE FOR VEHICLE HQOD Stephen De Orlow, Jackson, Mich.

Application January 31, 1955, Serial No. 484,890

Claims. (Cl. 292-52) The present invention relates to improvements in latch structure for vehicle engine hoods being especially adapted to the type of hood now in extensive use in which the hood is hinged about a horizontal axis directly forward of the windshieid. With this type of hood, the latch is generally located at the front of the vehicle, forwardly of the engine radiator, beneath the hood and actuated by inserting the fingers below the forward edge of the hood to manipulate first the primary catch then the secondary or safety catch.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hood latch structure of the type described which may be inexpensively tooled and fabricated, readily installed and adjusted in assembly of the vehicle as well as in service and conveniently actuated to raise and lower the hood.

Another object is to provide an improved hood latch structure having a high factor of safety yet which may be easily released from both the primary catch and the 'safety catch by the same and continuous movement.

A further object is to provide an improved hood latch structure of the type described in which the actuator for releasing the primary catch and the safety catch are cornbined into a common catch releasing lever having a releasing movement in the direction of hood raising.

These and other objects and advantages residing in the present invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical View, with parts thereof in broken vertical section, of the latch structure installed upon a vehicle, l

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line II-II of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 1 partially shown in section taken on line I I-Iii of Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational rear view of the primary catch bracket as viewed from the right of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a front detail View of the serrated mounting plate, and

Fig. 6 is a side view of Fig. 5. y

ln practice the form illustrated in the drawings will be fabricated from sheet metal stamping except for the hinge pins, spring and removable fasteners.

Referring to Fig. 1, the hood 10 of the type described has a plate l2 to which the primary catch bracket 14, shown of generally U-shape, is attached by bolts 16 extending through the out turned flanges 18.

A fixed bolt 20 shown of channel section except for the closed and tapered upper end 22 has elongated holes 24 in the serrated web portion 26 for vertical adjustable attachment by bolts 28 to the serrated plate 30 carried upon the xed structure 32 below the hood 10. An opening 34 in the safety catch plate 36 is provided for the bolt 20.

The bracket 14 has a central opening 38 defined by the up turned flange 4G to receive the bolt 20 with the hood closed. Ears 42 lanced and turned up fromthe web of the bracket 14 provide bearings for the hinge pins 44 of the dogs 46 continuously urged by the springs 48 toward the bolt 20. With the hood 10 fully lowered the dogs 46 engage the notches 5t) to latch the bracket 14 and hood 10 to the bolt 20. By vertically adjusting the bolt 20 on the plate 30, the position of primary latching of the hood may be conveniently altered in assembly and service.

'the bracket 14 has the web portion 52 thereof turned up and formed into L.shaped upright flanges 54 between which the L-shaped common actuator 56 for the primary A catch and safety catch structure is disposed and pivotally mounted on a hinge pin 58 carried byv the flange 54 as best seen in Fig. 3. A spring 66 stressed between the bracket 14 and web portion 62 of the actuator 56 normally holds the actuator 56 in the full line position of Fig. l.

As shown, the actuator 56 is of integral construction being of channel section generally between the line a-a and b-b. Below the line a-a the web of the channel is formed into a forwardly extending finger'plate 61 which may be engaged by the fingers of a person wishing to raise the hood lltl, there being a spaced 62 provided between the lower edge 64 of the hood 10 and the conventional grill structure 66 to receive the hand with the palm up. A safety catch 68 in the shape of a pair of spaced hooks are formed from the sides of the channel section below the line a-a.

Between the lines b-b and c-c the web of the channel of the actuator 56 has been removed to provide a pair of spaced parallel portions 70 defining an elongated opening in the actuator 56 through which the bolt 20 projects. As more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the portions 70 extend beneath the upper ends of the dogs 46 on opposite sides of the bolt 2li.

To raise the hood 10, upward pressure on the nger plate 61 will pivot the actuator 56 around the axis of the pin 58 bringing the portions 70 into engagement with the dogs 46 to cam them from engagement with the notches 50 in the bolt 20. Such pivotal movement of the actuator 56 will cause the safety catch 68 to clear the flange 72 of the safety catch plate 36. A continuation of the same movement exerted upon the plate 61 will bring the palm of the hand to the edge 64 and the hood is lifted free of both the primary catch and the safety catch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In latch structure for vehicle hoods of the type described having a vertical bolt and primary catch structure pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis for latching the said bolt with the hood lowered, the improvement comprising an actuator for detaching the primary catch structure from the bolt when said actuator is moved from a first position to a second position, a safety secondary catch structure carried upon said actuator, a safety retaining means with which said secondary catch structure engages with said actuator in said first position upon raising the hood, means supporting said actuator for pivotal manual movement about a horizontal axis, said first and second positions of said actuator defining a plane of movement wherein the axis of the bolt lies within said plane and said primary and secondary catch structure and the actuator supporting means are each positioned symmetrically thereto.

2. In latch structure for vehicle hoods of the type described having a vertical bolt and primary catch structure pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis for latching the said bolt with the hood lowered, wherein the primary catch structure comprises a pivoted pawl and the bolt has a tooth portion in which the pawl engages, the improvement comprising an actuator for detaching the primary catch structure from the bolt when said actuator is moved from a rst position to a second position, said actuator having a portion thereof disposed between the pawl and bolt for engaging the pawl to disengage the latter from the tooth portion of the bolt upon movement of said actuator from said rst to second position, a safety secondary catch structure carried upon said actuator, a safety retaining means with which said secondary catch structure engages with said actuator in rst position upon raising the hood, and means supporting said actuator for pivotal manual movement about a horizontal anis.

3. In latch structure for vehicle hoods of the type dcscribed having a vertical bolt and primary catch Structure pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis for latching the said bolt with the hood lowered, wherein the primary catch structure comprises a pair of pivoted pawls disposed upon opposite sides of the bolt and there are tooth portions on the bolt with which the pawls engage, the improvement comprising an actuator for detaching the primary catch structure from the bolt when said actu ator is moved from a rst position to a second position,

said actuator having a pawl engaging portion straddling the bolt and located between the bolt and the pawls, said pawl engaging portion, upon movement of said actuator from said first to second position, disengaging the pawls from the bolt, a safety secondary catch structure carried upon said actuator, a safety retaining means with which said secondary catch structure engages with said actuator in said iirst position upon raising the hood, and means supporting said actuator for pivotal manual movement about a horizontal axis.

4. ln latch structure for vehicle hoods of the type described having a vertical bolt and primary catch structure pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis for latching the said bolt with the hood lowered, wherein the primary catch structure comprises a pair of pivoted pawls located upon opposite sides of the holt and engaging therewith, the improvement comprising an actuator for detaching the primary catch structure from the bolt when said actuator is moved from a rst position to a second position, a safety secondary catch structure carried upon said actuator, a safety retaining means with w ich said secondary catch structure engages with said actuator in said {irst position upon raising the hood, means supporting said actuator for pivotal manual movement about a horizontal axis, wherein said actuator is in the form of a lever and its supporting means is in the form of a pivot located at one end of said lever at `one side of the bolt, a portion on said lever at the other end thereof for manual operation of said lever, said safety secondary catch structure being adjacent said last lever portion, and spaced pawl engaging portions of said lever between said ends being disposed upon opposite sides of the bolt and between the bolt and the pawls for engaging the pawls to disengage them from the bolt upon movement of said lever from said first to second position.

5. En latch structure for vehicle hoods of the type described having a vertical bolt and primary catch structure pivoted for movement about a horizontal axis for latching the said bolt with the hood lowered, wherein the primary catch structure comprises a pair of pivoted pawls located upon opposite sides of the bolt and engaging therewith, the improvement comprising an actuator for detaching the primary-catch structure from the bolt when said actuator is moved from a iirst position to a second position, a safety secondary catch structure carried upon said actuator, a safety retaining means with which said secondary catch structure engages with said actuator in said rst position upon raising the hood, means supporting said actuator for pivotal manual movement about a horizontal axis, wherein said actuator is in the form of a lever and its supporting means is in the form of a pivot located at one end of said lever at one side of the bolt, a portion on said lever at the other end thereof for manual operation of said lever, and spaced pawi engaging portions of said lever between said ends being disposed upon opposite sides of the bolt and between the bolt and the pawls for engaging the pawls to disengage them from the bolt upon movement of said lever from said lirst to second position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,504 Workman 23, 19%3 1,634,422 Holmes luly 5, i927 2,236,735 Saunders Apr. l, l94i 2,391,884 De Orlow lan. l, 1946 2,715,538 .lanonis Aug. i6, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 693,341 Great Britain l' une 24, 1953 

